Ambitious common target of the sports community and Finnish companies – Hobby for every child in connection with the school day
Sports club activities in schools receive considerable support through the nation-wide Lasten Liike activities enabled by Finnish companies. The pilot, initiated by Fazer, produced excellent results in different localities. Alongside with Fazer, also Reima and Unilever will join in to establish the operations model. The goal is to direct at least one million euros towards afternoon activities in primary schools.
The new Finnish Olympic Committee commencing work in the beginning of 2017 will work widely to increase children’s physical activity in cooperation with kindergartens, schools, sports federations and clubs. This cooperation is part of the common success story of physical exercise and sports in Finland that aims at, among other things, creating a good day for children. This day involves excitement, versatility and different sports, lots of movement and play as well as a healthy lifestyle.
Children are raised from early childhood into lifestyles omitting motion
Children’s lonely afternoons and lack of physical exercise burden the everyday lives of families with children. This is most true for families with children in primary schools. Sports clubs in schools reach about one fifth of all children. The aim of the Lasten Liike afternoon activities is to offer versatile sporty activities to as many children in primary school as possible, in connection with their school days, through the cooperation of sports clubs and other local actors.
“The Lasten Liike pilot we conducted in ten different localities in 2015-2016 was very well received and this convinced us that the activity deserves to be continued. Fazer considers it a matter of honour to do its share in increasing children’s physical activity through wider activities starting next year. Through this initiative, we want to direct our support to a wider group and, at the same time, make an impact on something that is important to us – the well-being of children. Tackling the lack of motion can have a considerable effect on the vitality of Finland as a whole. Research shows that, in the worst case, the upbringing of children can omit proper physical activity from their early childhood. For this reason, increasing children’s movement has to be our common cause. I am pleased to see that, already at this stage, also other companies are joining us”, says Christoph Vitzthum, President and CEO of Fazer Group.
“Every child must be offered a chance to exercise. Physical exercise creates a basis for a healthy lifestyle, develops social skills and helps the child concentrate, which, in turn, boosts learning new things. It is great we can be part of this common undertaking which we hope will help many children find ways they enjoy to exercise indoors and outdoors and share a hobby with others”, says Elina Björklund, Managing Director of Reima.
“When a child comes home smiling, with rosy cheeks and grass stains smeared on their clothes, they have had a great day. As lifestyles change and the cost of hobbies rise, we want to be involved in supporting high-quality activities on local level that encourage children to exercise, experience and learn new things. Lasten Liike is an excellent way to do this”, says Sanna Dooley, Marketing Manager of Omo.
Afternoons common choice of sports community
Thanks to the significant support coming from schools, clubs, sports federations and other actors in the sports arena as well as the Ministry of Education and Culture, there already are many activities and wonderful innovative solutions for the afternoon hours. The Lasten Liike movement, coordinated by the Finnish Olympic Committee, aims at supporting the existing activities and increase their scope. During the next three years, the goal of Lasten Liike is to support 500 clubs, involve 10,000 children and create 700,000 hours of physical exercise. The overall target is to guarantee a hobby for every child in connection with the school day.
“I am grateful that the companies signing up want to cooperate in increasing children’s physical exercise during the afternoons. Our target is to inspire joy and excitement and to create an opportunity for children to try different sports and find hobbies. Adopting a sporty lifestyle in one’s childhood and maintaining it is of utmost importance. In addition to companies, different sports associations, federations, clubs and schools are the key enablers of Lasten Liike. We want to invite everyone to join in creating a good day for children through physical exercise”, says Timo Ritakallio, Chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee.
Additional information:
Fazer
Liisa Eerola, Director, Confectionery Communications & Group Partnerships, 044 710 8860
Fazer’s media phone serves Monday to Friday from 8 to 16, tel.: +358 40 668 2998
Emails are in the form firstname.lastname@fazer.com
Finnish Olympic Committee:
Samuli Vasala, CEO, Business Unit, tel.: +358 44 358 6578
